A Witch's Curse
by LianaLyn
Summary: When Bonnie's cousin,Katta Bennett,pops up after missing for two years, Damon and the fiery witch bump heads like usual until he discovers she's hiding a terrible secret. Can Damon save the one person who might be his true soul mate? Damon/OC
1. The Witch Returns

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or storyline of The Vampire Diaries. This is fanfiction only, not to be sold, copied, or used in any way to make money. However the original character, Katta Bennett, is mine. **

**Spoiler Alert: **_**In this story, there's an alternate ending in Season 2. Elijah keeps his promise and kills Klaus putting an end to their struggle. Stefan never leaves with Klaus because Klaus is dead. Damon's werewolf bite is healed by Katta when Bonnie calls her. Jeremy is never shot so there won't be any issues of seeing dead ex-girlfriends which causes him and Bonnie to break up. They are still together. **_

Katta Bennett couldn't have chosen a better place to spend her summer other than with her adorable little cousin, Bonnie. It had been awhile since she'd last seen her. They were very close and she often treated her cousin as her little sister. Three years ago, Katta had helped Bonnie with her powers after her grandmother died. Although she didn't live in Mystic Falls, Katta had worked behind the scenes in her hometown, giving Bonnie advice and helping her find spells she needed to save her best friend Elena. When things got too much for them to handle, Katta made her way to Mystic Falls to make right all the wrong that had happened. There she had met the Salvatore brothers for the first time. Stefan had been a dream, but she'd regretted saving his brother Damon from a nasty werewolf bite, courtesy of Tyler Lockwood. From the moment the vampire had opened those abnormally beautiful blue eyes, her life had been hell ever since. He'd taken one look at her and tried to sink those very sharp fangs of his into her neck. Of course, her reflexes to immediate danger had sent him flying across the room and crashing into the wall and that had been the beginning of their hateful relationship.

She pulled up in front of the Salvatore's home in her red convertible and sighed as she stared at the huge mansion/boarding house. She didn't understand why Bonnie insisted she meet her at the Salvatore's home. The last person she wanted to see was Damon Salvatore. Luckily, Bonnie had assured her it had been a long time since Damon had returned to Mystic Falls which was the only reason why she'd agreed to meet her here. The answer to her question was waiting for her as soon as she opened the door.

"Surprise!" A group of people screamed out scaring the daylights out of her.

"What…" Katta blinked at the medium size crowd and smiled when she realized they were throwing her a welcome back party.

Bonnie ran up to her and hugged her tightly. "Hi cuz! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too!" Katta said returning her hug. "What is all of this?"

"Well, I was so excited when you told me you were coming here this week that I wanted to do something special. It's been two years since we've seen you Kat. You disappear without a word and suddenly return from some mysterious place you refuse to tell me about. I'm just so happy you're okay." Bonnie hugged her again causing Katta to feel very guilty about keeping the dark secret she carried inside of her from her little cousin and her friends.

"Are we ever going to get a chance to hug her?" Elena asked as she stood beside Bonnie with Stefan standing behind her.

Bonnie grinned and took a step back.

"Hi Elena," Katta said hugging the slim beautiful girl that had once been the center of everyone's universe three years ago when they were trying to save her from Klaus. "How are you honey?"

"Much better, happy for once," Elena told her.

"Safe and happy," Stefan corrected and smiled at Katta. He waited until Elena moved out of the way and hugged her. "How are you, Kat?"

"I'm alive," Kat said smiling up at the handsome vampire. Whenever he was around, she couldn't help but flirt with him. Elena knew she meant no harm in it and Stefan thought it was funny and humored her. She couldn't help herself, the man was just too charming to resist.

Stefan was that perfect guy every girl had dreamed of. He was thoughtful, kind, sensitive, and protective of the people he cared about, not to mention incredibly good-looking. He had straight dirty blonde hair styled fashionably in the latest look and was always dressed impeccably. His brown eyes watched her warmly with a slight hint of curiosity. She knew he wanted to ask her where she had been, but was polite enough not to for now.

"So, I see," he replied, "you gave us all a scare disappearing like that."

"I'm sorry you guys. I will apologize forever if I have to. I didn't mean to make any of you worry. Bonnie told me how you helped her search for me. Thank you for caring."

"Of course we care, you practically grew up with us and you were there for us when we needed you," Elena said grabbing Katta's arms and leading her into the room.

Bonnie grabbed her other arm. "Promise me, you'll never do that again! I'm still determined to find out what you were up to while you were gone!"

"Bonnie…" Katta looked at her and shook her head. "By the way, where is that boyfriend of yours?"

"Jeremy couldn't take off work, but you'll see him tomorrow," Bonnie said.

"Hi Kat!" Caroline suddenly appeared in front of her with Tyler, her boyfriend.

"How's my second favorite vampire?" Katta smiled at the cute blonde who grinned and gave her a quick hug.

"Great! I organized the party," Caroline felt the need to tell her.

"And from the looks of it, you went through a lot of trouble in doing so, thank you, Caroline. I love it! Is that my favorite song playing?"

Caroline grinned and nodded, pleased with herself that Kat had noticed. "I got all of them from Bonnie!"

"Hey Katta," Tyler said, "nice to see you again."

Katta smiled at the good-looking werewolf. "Hey Tyler, have you been treating Caroline well while I've been gone?"

"I try," Tyler said, "but it's never enough."

Caroline hit him on the shoulder, then turned around to frown at someone who was in the midst of spiking the punch bowl. "Hey, you put that down! That alcohol doesn't belong to you!" She went after him. Tyler grinned, shrugged, and followed after her.

Katta laughed softly. "Some things never change. Look at all of you, you've all grown up on me and in college…they grow up so fast…" she pretended to cry.

Bonnie laughed. "Stop acting like you're so much older than us, you're only 25."

Stefan wrapped his arms around Elena from behind. "She's right, you're far from being an old grandpa like me."

"Eww," Elena said. "Please don't ever say that around me again."

"Well you always did have a thing for older men," Bonnie teased her.

"If I live to be 65 and still look like Stefan, I'd be one happy old cougar. Tell me, Stefan, after living over 400 years, what's your secret for looking like someone who stepped out of a model ad?" she teased.

"Blood," they heard Damon's sarcastic voice. "Lots and lots of blood…"

Katta stiffen, she didn't even bother to turn around. She glared at Bonnie and Elena. "You two told me he would NOT be here!"

"He wasn't!" Elena said just as shocked as everyone else.

"I swear, I didn't know he was here," Bonnie quickly told her.

"Aren't you going to turn around and greet your first favorite vampire?" Damon teased standing a little too close for comfort behind Katta.

Apparently, he'd been eavesdropping on her conversation.

"I was referring to Stefan as my first, Caroline as my second, you don't even exist to me," Katta gritted her teeth for two reasons as she slowly turned around to face the devil's spawn. The first reason was because she knew he was about to annoy the hell out of her, but she was determined to not let him ruin the warm atmosphere in the room. The second was because looking at Damon's extraordinary features tended to overwhelm her for a few minutes before she could get ahold of herself.

She caught her breath as she stared up at him. He was extremely close causing her to stare at that masculine chest covered in a silk dark blue shirt. She slowly moved her eyes up to meet his and was nearly blinded by those eerily beautiful light blue eyes. They were the color of the sky on a clear summer afternoon. How many times had she stopped herself from getting lost in them? The vampire hadn't changed at all, he was still drop dead gorgeous, and he was even more handsome than Stefan, although she would go to her grave admitting that to him. Ebony locks of hair framed the ivory face an artist or a sculptor would call perfection with his high cheekbones, proud nose, and full sexy lips that were currently twisting in their usual smirk.

So it was true, Damon thought as he stared into the beautiful face of the woman who had become his latest obsession. She really had returned. He couldn't decide if he wanted to grab her - and shock everyone, including her, - by kissing the life out of her or choke her to death. Since neither would be a good idea for the time being, he decided not to do anything, but stare into those lovely hazel eyes and take in the view before him. She hadn't changed much over the two years she had disappeared, except become even lovelier than he remembered. Her wavy locks of tawny brown hair had gotten longer and now fell down her back instead of resting on her shoulders. Her mocha brown skin still looked like flawless satin and made his fingers ache to caress it. He hated the way she made him feel whenever he got near her and his tongue seemed to lash out at her of its own accord.

"Well, well, well, the Wicked Bitch, I mean Witch of the East has returned," he said raising a glass of scotch to her in a mocking manner. "Sorry, a slip of the tongue, you know how I tend to get those words mixed up concerning you."

And just like that, Katta was over him. She crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Why are you still here, Damon? Still pining after Elena? Get over it and move on, she doesn't want your ass! It was cute at first, but now your obsession with her is just…creepy."

"The last time I checked this was_ my_ home," he pointed at his chest, "not yours. I can come and go as I please. You," he trailed a finger lightly down her chest, she slapped it away, "are the uninvited guest. Perhaps I should turn you into a vampire, just to see that cute little ass of yours sail across the room and out the door." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and grinned.

"Actually, the only ass we'll be seeing flying across the room is yours if you don't get out of my way."

"Ahh," Damon sighed, raising his glass to her again. "Such fond memories of back in the day, to good times…" he said dryly and downed his drink. He suddenly began to cough as the drink turned into acid and began to burn his throat.

"Don't mess with me, Damon. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay far, far away from me. I've gotten a lot more powerful since you've last seen me and I will tear your ass up!"

"Mmmm, promise?" Damon almost purred at her and grinned at the woman who looked so much like her cousin Bonnie, they could have been sisters.

"Play nice Damon," Stefan warned him. "This is Katta's party, don't ruin it."

"What? What did I do?" Damon pretended his feelings were hurt when the girls gave him angry glares and walked away.

Stefan grabbed his arm and dragged him into the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"

"Et tu Stefan? My own brother questions me about returning home? I missed you too, dear sweet brother of mine."

"Cut the crap, Damon. You've been gone for two years. Why show up now?"

"Why not?" Damon asked him.

"I find it strange that you happened to disappear the same time Katta disappeared." Stefan crossed his arms and took a step closer to his brother. He peered into his eyes suspiciously and tilted his head. "Were you searching for her?"

Damon looked at him in surprise before quickly covering it up with a loud scoff. "Puh Lease! As if I'd search for that irritating witch! I was out celebrating her departure for two whole years, the world needed to know there was one less condescending witch infesting it!"

Stefan shook his head. "Yeah, okay. I take it you will be staying for a while."

"This has nothing to do with her! Do you really want me to be over Elena so badly that you're trying to push me on a witch?"

"I know you're not in love with Elena anymore, Damon, that changed…three years ago…" Stefan smirked and left the room.

Damon watched his brother leave knowing he couldn't get away with anything under Stefan's watchful eyes. Stefan knew him too well. Damon couldn't fool him even when he lied to himself. He threw the empty glass in the sink and grabbed the edges of the counter squeezing it tightly. Where the hell had she been?

For two years, he'd searched for her. He'd travel around the world trying to find some clue to her disappearance and suddenly Alaric, who was still living with Elena and Jeremy as their guardian, calls him and tells him she's returned out of nowhere and was on her way to visit Bonnie. He tried to tell himself that he was bored and searching for her gave him something to do with his meaningless existence now that Elena was safe. And yet, when he'd snuck back into the house and saw her standing there talking to her friends, his heart started pounding so loudly, it drowned out the music in the room. Relief flooded through him along with anger.

The memory of his first time meeting her suddenly flashed into his mind. He'd been dying of a werewolf's bite. He remembered Elena staying with him, laying on the bed beside him and crying, and how happy he'd been to know those tears were only for him. She had kissed him that night and told him she'd forgiven him for everything. He had been prepared to die, to welcome death during his last remembrance of the tender moment they'd shared together. Yes, it would have been a very sweet death because Elena had been alone with him and for a few minutes he could pretend that she belonged only to him, not Stefan.

He hadn't realized how much time had went by, but suddenly he felt himself snatched from his blissful death with a violent jerk. Life began to pour back into his body and when he opened his eyes, the soulful deep brown eyes of Elena's was gone and was replaced by fiery hazel eyes that seemed to glow straight into his soul. For a second, he thought she was another wolf and had attacked her. She'd sent him flying across the room and plastering his entire body upside the wall.

Yes, that was the first time he'd met his beautiful, powerful, and sexy as hell witch. Their meeting hadn't gotten off to a good start, then again, he couldn't remember ever getting off to a good start with anyone before he became friends with them. However, he wouldn't call their relationship a friendly one, she hated him, maybe even despised him, and he made sure she did, for the simple fact that he found himself drawn to her. He didn't want to like her. He didn't want to feel anything for her and yet he couldn't stop his attraction to her. Something about that fiery attitude of hers, the confident way she carried herself, and the way she held her own against him, scorching him as much as he scorched her with her own witty and sarcastic remarks that kept him interested, curious, entertained, and so hot for her he could barely stand it. She was the complete opposite of Elena in looks and personality and race. Damon had always thought Elena or even Katherine- before he found out how manipulative and selfish she was - were the only women who could make him feel so strongly about them. Apparently he'd been wrong; an African-American witch with wicked curves and an even more wicked personality had managed to bewitch him.

And now the woman he'd been searching for two years had returned to him. He'd be damned if he let her get away from him again. Right now, he was pissed, more than pissed, he was furious at her and he was going to make sure she knew it by torturing her every chance he got, that would teach her to run off and leave him without so much as a word.

Katta waved at the last group of people leaving the house and fell on the couch, exhausted. "I think I'm all partied out, but I do love dancing and good food."

Stefan chuckled and sat beside her. "Have you found a place to stay yet?"

Katta shook her head. "No, I was going to look for an apartment tomorrow."

"You're welcomed to stay here, free of charge if you like," Stefan offered.

Kat turned and stared at him in shock. "You're being awfully generous. What are you up to?"

"She can stay with me," Bonnie said giving Stefan a strange look.

"I couldn't do that, Bonnie, where would I sleep?" Katta smiled as Bonnie sat on the arm of the couch.

"We could room together," Bonnie said. "It would be just like old times."

Katta laughed. "I wouldn't dream of doing that to you now. You're all grown up and have a very cute boyfriend that comes over. You need your privacy."

"Really, it wouldn't be a problem," Bonnie insisted.

"Stefan is right, why not stay here?" Elena asked sitting beside him. "The mansion is not lacking for space. They've got plenty of empty bedrooms to choose from."

"It's the least I could do for you, for saving my brother and helping Elena," Stefan said.

"Have you both lost your minds? I wouldn't care if she stayed here if Damon wasn't around, but he's back for some strange reason and they'll kill each other with in a few days or at least destroy your home with all the fighting."

"I'll make sure, Damon is on his best behavior," Stefan assured Katta.

"Yeah, right, no one can tame Damon," Bonnie mumbled.

"Maybe you can," Stefan told Katta with a grin. "Are you up to taming the beast if you stay here? I mean you can't beat a sweet deal like this, free room and board, no utilities to pay…"

"It does sound very tempting," Katta said with a smile. "And I am running a little low on cash lately."

"You can't be considering this," Bonnie said in disbelief.

"How bad can it be living with Damon? He stayed around and tortured me for a year before I left after saving his ass, the ungrateful bastard. I'm use to him and maybe it's time for payback."

"That's the spirit!" Stefan urged.

"Don't encourage her!" Bonnie told him.

"Don't worry, Bonnie, I can always leave if I get fed up with him," Katta told her.

"And I'll be here most of the time, playing the referee," Elena teased.

"Am I the only one who can see this is a very bad idea?" Bonnie asked looking at her friends as if they'd suddenly lost their common sense.

Later that night, Elena lay in bed with Stefan snuggled in his arms. "I know what you're up to," she finally said.

"Do you?" Stefan asked. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

Elena turned to look at him. "Of course, why do you think I went along with it? Damon likes Katta. You want her to be close to him and I want to see him happy."

"I think he more than likes her," Stefan chuckled, "but he's in a serious case of denial about it. How did you know?"

"Come on, this is Damon we're talking about, whenever he picks fights with a woman for no reason at all, it usually means he likes her. I watched them the year before she disappeared; he was constantly following her around; antagonizing her. It was actually kind of funny when she wasn't trying to kill him."

Stefan smiled at that. "I want him to be happy too. I want him to have what we have, I think they would be good for each other if they both stop being so stubborn about it. But, there is another reason why I want her close to him, with Katta here Damon is most likely to stay home where I can keep an eye on him. When he was gone for the past two years, I was worried that he might revert back to his old self and go on a killing spree. You know how he can get when he turns off his emotions, at least with Katta, he won't be able to shut them off so easily."

"I think we're doing the right thing," Elena said. "One thing for sure, with Katta in town, it's going to be a very interesting summer."

Katta sat in bed dressed in cotton pajamas pants and top. It was cold and breezy in the old house at night. She supposed as vampires, it didn't bother Stefan and Damon. It would definitely take some getting used to on her end. How did Elena deal with it? Oh that's right, she had a nice masculine body to keep her warm at night. Katta sighed and stood up to look out the window. She would never be able to love anyone in her condition. All her human dreams and hopes had ended when she made the biggest mistake of her life during the past two years she'd went incognito. She had already been a very powerful witch, one of the strongest, but she had wanted more. Her greed and her addiction to magic had led her down a very dark path for more power. She'd gotten what she wanted. But with power, came a price, a very dear price she hadn't been aware of until it was too late.

"God!" she cried out in anger and frustration just thinking about her fate and knowing even God couldn't help her now. One tear fell from her cheek and into the hand of Damon who suddenly appeared between her and the window. She screamed, caught off guard. "You…vampire! How did you manage to sneak up on me like that?"

Damon stared down at the tear in his hand before gently closing his palm around it. He stared into her eyes. "You were heavily distracted…" he answered softly.

"What are you doing in my room? Get out of here!"

"You're not allowed to cry unless I make you," he told her peering down at her with those light blue eyes. "Besides, how many times do I have to remind you that you're in my house which makes this my room, not yours? The question is why are you still here?"

"Stefan said I could stay here for as long as I want."

"Did he? I must have a talk with him."

"I answered your question, now will you leave?"

"No, I have another question. Where have you been the past two years?"

"As if I would tell you," Katta said.

"You're in trouble, aren't you?"

"What makes you think I'm in trouble?"

"The tear I hold in my hand for one and I know for a fact that no one disappears for two years and returns without bringing trouble along with them."

"Leave me alone, Damon. I'm too tired to argue with you tonight," Katta turned to dismiss him.

Damon grabbed her arm and pulled her against his body. Warmth enveloped her front. How could a vampire manage to be so warm anyway? Oh yes, that's right, they had learn the neat little trick of constantly drinking alcohol to keep their body warm. She could feel her body already melting against his, aching for him to wrap his arms around her. He'd caught her at a vulnerable time; she wanted to be held by someone, even the man she hated would do…at least that's what she told herself. "Let go of me, Damon…"

"I can make you tell me by doing things to your body that would keep you up all night and have you screaming out any answer I need to know…"

Damn, the crazy vampire could turn her on like no other man she'd ever met. At least it wasn't one sided, she could feel him becoming hard against her thigh. "Are you coming on to me or is that a threat?" She couldn't help it, flirting was like second nature to her.

Damon smirked. "Both…"

She knew he was stronger than her physically, stronger and faster than her human body, but what she was lacking in physical qualities she made up with her powers.

Damon felt a powerful push and suddenly found himself flying out the window. His body hit the ground with a loud heavy thud causing him to groan slightly. He didn't like the idea of being pushed out the window from the third floor of his own home. His pride was hurt more than his body. "I'm going to kill that bitchy witch!" he growled. His body became a blur as he flew back in the house.

Katta felt a little cheered up after seeing Damon falling in the night air. There was certain satisfaction she got from hearing his body hit the ground. Was that a few bones she heard crack? It was music to her ears, but her enjoyment was short-lived when he got up. Damn vampires and their amazingly fast healing, she really had to do something about that. She quickly cast a spell on her room blocking him out. When Damon tried to enter, he was bounced back into the hallway. He tried again and realized what she'd done.

"You're so going to die when you leave that room!" He hissed angrily.

Katta walked up to him facing him through the invisible barrier. "Let me stay here, Damon. I've come back to enjoy my life at a place I hold dear in heart. I'm at peace here surrounded by all the people I love and care about. I've watched over these kids my entire life, I've cried and laughed with them and have bailed them out of trouble countless of times. I know just about everyone in this town, it's been more of a home to me than any other place. Don't you feel the same way? So, please…let me stay here, it will only be for a while."

Damon's anger disappeared as he stared down at her. Something wasn't right…her voice was so sad, so…final…and those beautiful hazel eyes were actually pleading up at him. "What have you gotten yourself into, Kat?"

"Does it matter?" she asked and walked back to her bed. "Good night, Damon." The door shut with a loud bang.

Damon lingered in the hallway pacing up and down it, his mind racing. He growled in frustration and punched a hole through the wall. Damn, he hated her for making him worry so much…for making him care. He needed to get out of the house, to get as far away from her as he could before she drove him insane.

**A/N: Yes, I am back and decided to start off with a new story as warm up. I am obsessed with The Vampire Diaries, especially Damon. I thought I'd give him a new person in his life, someone he could love as intensely as only Damon could and have it returned for once in his life with a female who didn't belong to someone one else or want someone else other than him! To me, his ties were too close to the characters in the TV show so why not bring in a new person who would accept Damon's bad boy personality wholeheartedly. Hope you enjoyed it! And yes, I plan to update my Inuyasha fanfiction along with this one. **


	2. Katta's Mystery

**A/N: Happy at least a few people are reading my latest obsession. Thanks for the reviews!**

Katta sat in the kitchen drinking coffee and staring off into space in a daze. She hadn't slept a wink last night. It wasn't the cold, dank room that had kept her up; it was the nightmares. She thought a new atmosphere would keep the terrifying dreams away, it hadn't…

Damon walked into the kitchen glancing at her before he pulled out what look like a second coffee pot and poured himself a mug. He sat on the stool next to her at the counter and grinned. "Morning, beautiful."

Katta rolled her eyes and continue to sip from her cup. She suddenly began to smell something metallic and quickly turned to Damon. "What is that scent?"

Damon glanced down at his mug. "Nothing like fresh brewed blood in the morning to wake a cold dead body up," he winked at her and took a long drink of hot steaming blood.

Katta nearly gagged. "Damon, must you gross me out first thing in the morning?"

"Would you prefer I drink from your cup?" He grabbed her mug and took a swallow then spit the stuff out. "Now that's gross! I see you make your coffee the same as yourself, bitter and Black..."

"Damon, I'm warning you, I am not a morning person, do not start with me right now."

"Well, lucky for you, I could care less," he pulled her stool close to him and trapped her between his legs. "Now where did we leave off last night?"

"I believe it was with you standing outside my bedroom," Katta smirked.

Damon grabbed her chin examining the dark rings under her eyes. "Nice to know I wasn't the only one who didn't get much sleep last night."

Katta jerked away from him. "Don't touch me like you own me."

Damon moved his face closer to hers. "Take me to your bed and I'll show you how wrong you are…" he whispered wickedly.

Katta swallowed ignoring the sexual chemistry whipping between them. There was no doubt that he would definitely own her if she gave in to him. "I could skin you alive, you know that," she threatened him.

"It will grow back, you know that," Damon replied with a smirk, "but keep talking; you're turning me on…"

"Didn't know you were such a masochist," Katta replied, "then again, I should have figured it out sooner, no matter how much damage I do to this body of yours, you keep coming back for more."

"What can I say? I like it rough…" Damon grinned.

"You are one sick, twisted, vampire…" Katta told him shaking her head.

Stefan cleared his throat loudly as he entered the room with Elena. "Sorry, are we interrupting something?" He stared at both of them with a smug smile on his face.

Katta knew what she and Damon must have looked like to them and quickly pulled away from him. "No, you're not interrupting anything."

"Actually…" Damon started to say but stopped and smirked when Katta shot him a death threat look.

"I'm going into town later; would you like to come with me, Elena?" Katta asked her.

"Sure," Elena said. She watched Katta leave the room before turning to Damon. "I hope you don't plan on giving her a hard time while she's staying here. She just returned to us, we don't need you chasing her away again."

"Oh, you blame moi for her disappearance? How "Elena" of you," Damon took another sip out of his mug.

"Believe me, if Stefan was not here, I'd run from you too," Elena taunted him and walked to the refrigerator.

"Isn't anybody the least bit curious as to where she's been?" Damon looked at Stefan and Elena. "She suddenly returns and everyone just accepts it, no questions asked?"

"We are concerned," Elena told him, "but we're trying to give her time to open up to us…"

"I don't think time is on her side," Damon mumbled.

Stefan frowned. "Do you know something?"

"Yeah, Damon, if you know something then tell us," Elena urged.

"She hasn't told me anything really, I just get the feeling this is not an ordinary visit for her."

"Speaking of disappearing, where were you for the past two years, Damon?" Elena asked.

"Were you worried about me?" Damon grinned.

"Just curious, you left a month after Katta disappeared. Was it a coincidence?" Elena took out a bagel and cream cheese.

"Why is everyone asking me that?" Damon threw his hands up in the air. "Can't a man decide to go on vacation to get away from all the drama that happened trying to save you?" He stared at Elena pointedly.

"Watch it, Damon," Stefan warned him.

"So you didn't look for her? Cause you know, I could have sworn I heard Alaric talking on the phone to you about her," Elena smiled at him sweetly.

"You little…were you eavesdropping on the other line? How much did you hear?"

"Give it up, Damon, stop pretending like you don't care for Katta and tell us what you found out."

"I don't care for her," Damon snapped at him. "I was bored and needed something to keep me occupied, that's all."

Stefan and Elena glanced at each other.

"Fine," Damon yelled at them. "Believe what you want, I don't care! And now that you've pissed me off, I'm not telling you anything!" He left the room.

"Must he act so childish," Elena said with a sigh.

"What did you hear, Elena? Why are you just not saying anything about this?" Stefan wanted to know.

"I wasn't really on the other line listening, I just heard bits and pieces when I was on my way out. Alaric mentioned something about a strange supernatural pattern that started happening in different parts of the world since Katta's disappearance. When I asked him about it later, he said he didn't have anything to go on except that and it could have been caused by anything. He didn't want me to tell Bonnie and get her hopes up over nothing. He wanted to be sure, first, but then Katta returned…"

"I think Alaric and Damon know a lot more than they're letting on," Stefan concluded.

"Thanks again for throwing the party for me, Bonnie. It really meant a lot to me," Katta said as she sat at The Mystic Grill for lunch with Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline.

"Well, you mean a lot to us," Bonnie told her. "You don't know how happy I was to hear that you'd returned and you were okay. I was so afraid that something bad had happened to you. I've already lost grams, I couldn't bare it if I lost you too."

A look of guilt and regret came over Katta's face at hearing Bonnie's word. Perhaps, coming to Mystic Falls had been a bad idea. She turned her head away, not able to look Bonnie in the face and ended up staring into beautiful azure eyes watching her intensely. Damon. He was sitting at the bar facing her and probably listening in on her conversation with that keen hearing of his. She frowned when he raised a glass to her and grinned.

"Hey Katta!" Jeremy said and leaned down to give her a hug. "Bonnie told me you were back. Sorry, I wasn't able to make it to the party last night."

"That's okay, Jeremy, look at you…you've grown into quite a man since I last saw you, Bonnie is one lucky girl."

Jeremy blushed at the compliment and gave Bonnie a kiss on the cheek. "No, I'm the lucky one," he said staring down at Bonnie adoringly.

"Aww, so cute," Katta sighed. "Young love, there's nothing like it."

"Once again will you stop acting like you're an old woman, you're only five years older than us," Bonnie laughed.

"Matt, look who's here," Jeremy called to his friend who also worked at the Mystic Grill. Matt walked over and smiled brightly when he saw Katta.

"I can't believe you're back," he said walking over to her quickly and giving her a hug.

Katta smiled at the blonde haired, blue eyes, heart throb. "And I can't believe how built you've gotten. Have you been working out?"

Matt grinned. "I have to keep in shape in order to survive in this town, apparently I'm the only normal one among my friends without any special powers."

"Hey," Elena said. "What about me?"

"Hello? Doppelganger? Nothing normal about that…" Matt teased.

Elena threw a fry at him.

"We better get back to work, it's good seeing you again," Matt told Katta.

"See you later tonight?" Jeremy asked Bonnie who nodded and smiled at him.

She waited until both he and Matt left before turning to Katta. "So..cuz…are you going to tell us why you left? Where did you go?"

Katta took a long sip from her Coke. "I don't really want to talk about that right now…"

Bonnie frowned. "Why? We spent two years looking for you. Do you know how scared I was that you were dead somewhere? Look, the least you can do is tell us where you been."

"I took a long vacation, things were getting rather hectic for me and I needed some…me time..." Katta said.

"And where exactly was "me time" at?" Bonnie grilled her.

"Oh here and there, I traveled around the world for two years, there are you happy?"

"Did you bring any pictures?" Caroline asked excitedly.

Bonnie rolled her eyes at her. "Katta, I don't believe you'd just run off for no reason and not let anyone know just because you wanted a vacation." She grabbed her hand. "If something is wrong, you know you can tell us." Bonnie suddenly gasped as strong, powerful energy zapped through their joined hands.

Katta yanked her hand away. "Excuse me, little girl rooms," she told them and quickly left the table.

Elena stared at her best friend sitting beside her and watched her face turn pale. "Bonnie, what's wrong?"

Katta didn't go to the restroom, instead she went outside behind the restaurant to get some fresh air, that was close, a little too close. She took in a deep breath and stared down at her hands which had gotten so hot, steam began to rise off of them in the cold air. So, it was happening just as they said, she was gradually beginning to lose control.

Damon suddenly appeared in front of her staring down at her hands. "What was that back there?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "You just love stalking me, don't you?"

"Don't flatter yourself, it's not my fault you happen to be at all my hang out spots as well as my home. Who's stalking who?"

Katta turned to leave. He grabbed her smoking hand. "What is this? What did you do to Bonnie?"

Katta pulled it away. "Nothing! Do you really think I'd hurt my cousin, she's like a little sister to me! Sometimes when two witches touch their powers cancel each other out."

"True, but it didn't seem like you had control over it, you looked just as surprised as she did," Damon looked at her suspiciously.

"Will you please, Damon, stop harassing me and just leave me alone?" Katta begged him and turned around to leave.

"China, India, Russia…sounds familiar to you?" Damon asked causing her to freeze. She slowly turned around to face him again.

"Kat! Is that you?" a male's voice asked.

Katta turned to see the guy that had broken her heart during her last visit in Mystic Falls. "Augusto…" Apparently, no matter how badly he'd treated her, he could still make her heart beat faster every time she saw him. She watched as the handsome Italian walked up to her with a cocky grin on his face.

"Where have you been? I've missed seeing your beautiful face in this dull town," he said totally ignoring Damon who stared at him in annoyance. He took her hand which had recently stopped smoking and kissed it.

Katta looked momentarily dazed in his presence which pissed off Damon for some reason. This was the guy she had dated for a month, slept with, and dumped her the very next day. And yet, here she was smiling up at him as if he was still the love of her life. What exactly did she see in the pathetic piece of human being? And the fact that he so obnoxiously got between him and Katta interrupting their conversation and ignoring Damon, didn't sit too well with him.

"You're asking me out again, are you serious? After the way you treated me like trash before?" Katta was saying to him. "I mean sure you're…good looking and charming and oh so…sexy…seriously the Italian thing is working for you…I find you irresistible…but you're bad news for me Augusto..."

"What's wrong with having a little badness in your life?" Augusto asked and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her. "What I did to you was wrong, I admit. I was young and stupid back then, I didn't see the error of my ways until you left and I realized how much I missed you. Katta, I love you…"

"Really?" Katta asked batting her eyes at him. She knew he was probably lying, but damn she wanted him to kiss her. How long had it been since she'd felt another man's lips against hers? Two years exactly…she watched as his lips came closer, closer to hers, her heart beating crazily with anticipation. She closed her eyes and waited. Nothing happened…She opened them and nearly screamed at what she saw. Her hands covered her mouth in shock and horror as she watched Damon pull his fangs from the neck of her future lover and drop his limp body to the ground.

Damon looked at her innocently as he wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his arm. "What? I was hungry…"

"Did..you..KILL.. him?" Katta's voice shook.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself…Italian food is my favorite."

"Damon! How could you?"

"Oh stop being so dramatic, I did you a favor! You should be thanking me."

"Oh my god, you psychotic vampire! You haven't changed a bit since I left. I am not staying here to be a witness for your mess!" Katta disappeared in front of him.

Damon blinked in surprised. "Well…that's new…"


End file.
